ALDEA ZAMA

TOURISM

The overall growth rate in tourism in the Riviera Maya equates to almost five times more than the international index. In comparison, worldwide tourism increased by 4.5 percent according to the most recent statistics reported by the UN World Tourism Organization. As Director of Tourism, Aranda Pedrero issued a mandate that marketing and promotional efforts would continue to be focused on drawing the top markets for Riviera Maya from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe. “It is my goal to ensure that the Strategic Promotion Plan for 2007 will be continued and that in 2008 we will strive to exceed expectations and keep the Riviera Maya among the top destinations worldwide”, said Pedrero. The Mexican government is supporting continued growth with investments in key arrival infrastructure. These include the expansion of Federal Highway 307 from two to four lanes, from the major tourist attraction of Cancun to Tulum, and construction of the new airport of the Mayan Riviera. The total number of international and national passengers flying to and from Cancun Airport grew to 11,340,027 in December, 2007, showing a solid increase of 16.6 percent over 2006.